Invisible Heart Strings
by AkatsukiDarkAngel
Summary: Sasori needs information, the one who can get what he's looking for is a strange girl. Little did he expect to fall in love with her so quickly. But can a puppet really love? Can she love a criminal, one of her assignments?


This job was not easy, having to keep track of all the Akatsuki and have the black book constantly up to date. Filling out the book was the easy part; it was getting the information that was the challenge. I sat at my desk thinking of a new plan – my head hit the hard surface with a thud. Sasori was my target this time around but he was elusive, making it difficult to pin point his next location.

I decided to take a walk, thinking that the fresh air may do me some good. I took a deep breath of the 'after the rain' air and let it all out in a long sigh. I choose to live far away in a forest so if anything were to happen no innocent villager would be harmed. Information is a double edged sword and I held the side that could get me killed.

"What's on your mind?"

I looked up and froze – the dangerous red headed puppet master was leaning against a tree. It had to be an illusion, no one but the elders in each village knew where I lived. He smirked at me and pushed off the tree till he stood up straight.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Who are you?" I inquired playing innocent.

"That's hurtful" he put a hand to his chest "You've been researching a lot about me recently and you've already forgotten my name."

"I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Play time was over, his expression was stern and in a blink he stood directly in front of me. He took my chin in his hand and tilted my head from side to side until he saw what he was looking for. A special tattoo on the back of my neck spiralling down my back telling anyone and everyone what my dangerous task is. I always try my best to cover it with my hair and top – no one needs to see the target on my back.

"Okay" I pushed his hand away "So you know who I am and I know who you are."

"Actually I don't know your name" he confessed "All I knew was that there was someone who lived in the forest who could help me."

I burst out laughing "You took a chance that I was the one you were after. You play a good game Sasori."

"It wasn't that funny" he scowled "I'm hungry and your house is the first one I've seen in weeks."

"So I just blew my own cover?"

"Pretty much. Now let me inside to eat then we can talk about my deal."

I started walking away shaking my head "Not in my house. I'll let you eat but at a nearby tea shop."

"I need substantial food not some dainty tea."

"Oh just shut up and trust me."

I felt him glaring at my back but I assumed he was too hungry to complain. When we reached the tea shop his mouth started drooling from all the delicious smells wafting through the shop. I heard him groan, I glanced at him as he pointed to the long line. I just smiled, grabbed a menu and walked to the very back. The waitresses acknowledged our presence and came over shortly with two glasses of water.

"You come here too often" he commented eyes glued to the menu "You sure this is a tea shop?"

"Upstairs is a specialty tea shop where you can try and purchase many different kinds of tea."

"Are you ready to order?" a waitress returned.

Sasori looked at me "You paying?"

"Depends on how much information you give me."

Sasori ordered five things from the menu, as for me the waitress asked if I wanted the usual. He handed her the menu and stared at me as I drank my water. I could tell he wanted to start talking about this deal that he so desperately searched for me for but was afraid of being over heard.

"It's safe" I assured him "Now, what is this deal you wanted to talk about?"

"I want you to find all you can about Orochimaru and keep me in the loop when there's a new development."

"Interesting but what's in it for me?" two waitresses had returned swiftly with our food "I mean, I'm not supposed to be look into Orochimaru until three months from now – give or take a bit of time."

"I'll give you all the information you may need or want on me."

"That's not enough. You're the complete opposite to what rumors have claimed."

"I can get you into the Akatsuki as an informant. You tell them what they want to know as you get first hand information about them."

"Now that is quite tempting. Tell me, what did you tell your leader when you came to search for me?"

Sasori stopped chewing his food and stared at me, after a moment he swallowed "What does that matter?"

"By your reaction, I'd say it matters a lot."

"I told him about a family who was researching us and a rumor they were living in a forest. He told me to kill everyone and burn their hideout down."

"What do you plan on telling him when you show up to the base with me alive?"

"I never thought that far in advance. My original plan was to keep you all to myself, taking you back to the base was an idea that just came to me now."

"Well then" I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and laid some money on the table "I think we're through here. Have a nice day Sasori."

I was just returning from one of my informants. The door to my house was open just a crack, I cautiously pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside. There was a single light on, someone was in my study.

"Welcome back."

I reacted by attacking the person who was behind me "Sasori, what are you doing here?"

"I came back to get you to accept my deal."

"I figured you would have come back with more forces behind you" I put my head on chest for a moment before lifting it back up "You're heart is still beating, my informant said you had turned yourself into a puppet."

"You never know how someone is until you've gotten to know them" he pushed a stray strand of hair that had fallen in my face away "Now do you mind getting off me?"

"Now, as for that deal – I never said I wasn't going to accept" I went toward my study "I just don't want to be put in the middle of the Akatsuki base."

"What have you found out?"

"Orochimaru has a new lab assistant. A medical ninja named Kabuto."

"I put Kabuto under Orochimaru as my spy."

"He isn't your spy any more. Orochimaru removed any and all mind spells from Kabuto."

"That snake" he hissed "Who am I supposed to trust now?"

"Me" I stated closing the file "But if you don't, you know where the door is."

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

I wasn't listening, I heard him mumble something under his breath. As I walked by he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and his forehead rested on my neck. I've never had this much interaction with my subjects, it made my mind go fuzzy and for some reason my heart started beating really fast.

"What do you want from me?" I shook him off.

"Information on Orochimaru."

"No" I shook my head at him "No one is this determined to get information on somebody. Now I'll ask you again, what do you want from me?"

"It's true, I want information on Orochimaru – he betrayed me" his face was as emotionless as a doll "But I also became interested in you. If I can't coax it out of you gently, I'll just have to use force."

I backed up into my desk "One more step and I'll blow this place to smithereens' – with us along with it."

"You're bluffing" he eyed me.

"Try me."

I stared at him, my heart going heavy. He took in my expression then took a step forward. I set off the first paper bomb – it triggered a chain reaction setting the entire house off. Sasori took the final two steps my way and kissed me just before the roof came down on us.

It took two years for my body to recover from the blast I had set off. I was still writing the black book though many had thought I had died in the explosion. The only difference was that I did things my own way and on my own time instead of a timed schedule.

My target this time was a new Akatsuki member - Deidara. He was known as a hired assassin specializing in bombs, but he wasn't dangerous enough to put into the black book - until now. Deidara had refined his technique considerably from the moment he entered the organization, it was quite eerie so I just had to look into it.

Deidara was hard to find, the blond bomb maker liked to use his clay creations to get around. In his case that meant by air, the higher up he was the more his creation looked like a real bird. I always had to search at night when he landed to get a good night's sleep. It happened to be a fluke when Deidara's bird landed in the area I was searching that night.

"Go get some firewood" Deidara's partner hissed "I don't want to freeze."

He nodded and left. I was going to follow when chakra strings pulled me down from the tree I was hiding in. Not many ninja knew how to use chakra strings, my mind went straight to Sasori but I shook out the thought knowing he was dead.

"Well, well" the short ugly man chuckled "I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Excuse me?"

"Those paper bombs you set off two years ago should have killed a non-ninja like yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about" he was scaring me, only Sasori knew any of that "I'm just a civilian who happened to be sleeping in that tree which you rudely pulled me out of."

"If you don't know who I am then you've really lost your touch."

He pulled me down to my knees while from under his cloak this silver tail appeared. My eyes widened, I couldn't believe it, and this silver scorpion like tail couldn't truly belong to Sasori - the red scorpion. His tail very carefully pulled back my shirt, just enough so he could see the start of my tattoo.

"Cat got your tongue?" he chuckled.

I tilted my head "Sasori?"

"Took you long enough, my little informant."

"What happened to you?"

"Your little explosion damaged my body; I had to create a new one."

"Master Sasori I got the firewood" Deidara returned dropping the wood the moment he saw me and pulled out a kunai "Who is that?"

"An old trustworthy partner."

"I've never heard of a female within the Akatsuki."

"I've never stepped foot within the Akatsuki base" I responded "But I guess you could say that I was his spy – working only for him."

Sasori let the chakra strings go "So what do you have for me?"

I sat on the ground "You let me hang around then I'll give you everything – once innocent ears aren't around."

"Deal."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Deidara stepped forward "We're on a mission right now."

Sasori aimed his tail at the blonds' neck "She stays."

"Okay, she stays."

I just smiled and analyzed. Sasori was much more feared, he allowed me to circle and examine his new look. I learnt that what was shown is just a puppet shell filled with weapons and defenses, while his tail was dipped in a home made poison. Deidara set up camp always keeping an eye on me as I examined his partner.

"Okay Deidara, your turn."

"To do what?" he snapped.

I giggled "You sound jealous."

"I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous?"

"Just do as she says brat" Sasori snapped.

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't I'll make sure that it's your last breathe."

Deidara gulped "What did you want me to do?"

"Just take off your cloak so I can see what I'm working with" I replied.

He undid the cloak letting it fall to his elbows. I circled him paying attention to every minor detail, when I came back to the front I put my hand on his chest. His expression changed and he twisted away from my touch. I took out my notebook and wrote down all that needed to me in the black book then sat down on the ground in front of them.

"What did you write down?"

"Nothing important."

"Then why did you circle me like a hawk?"

"Gathering information."

"Like what?" Deidara sat in front of me like an eager child waiting for their present.

I glanced at Sasori; he nodded so I explained "You're a young bomb expert who believes art is fleeting. Though you argue with Sasori you highly respect him and are always wanting his acceptance. You act tough but you're just a softie – there is one person you wish to be better then but deep inside you respect him. There are two gapping holes in your chest – one is for a powerful sacrificial jutsu, the other is for the loneliness that you carry. Do you want me to continue?"

"Not yet" he shook his head all choked up "How do you do that?"

"Family trait."

"Do you have all you need?" Sasori inquired "You're making him emotional."

"No she's not" Deidara smacked his cheeks "What else can you tell me?"

I looked up at the sky "The sun has set, lets talk tomorrow."

The blond pouted but agreed, his bird disappeared as he crawled into his tent. Sasori made a fire and offered up his tent for me while he kept watch. For a while I stayed awake watching Sasori, somewhere deep inside I had this fear he was going to leave me - though he had no reason to stay by my side after I blew him up. My mind wondered as sleep took over - dreams felt so real, I woke with a start feeling a hand on my cheek.

"Sasori?" I whispered "This has to be a dream."

"Come on" he helped me up "Deidara is fast asleep."

"So this is reality?" I was still sleep driven; nothing could penetrate my currently slow mind "Where are you taking me?"

He didn't answer, a soft smile graced his lips - it sent my still heart racing and I was wide awake. I moved closer so I wasn't following him but instead walked beside him. Sasori stopped a few kilometers away from the camp; he held me in place and held his arms out while stepping back.

"This is my new body" his eyes turned sad "I'm all puppet, no feelings and no heart."

"The perfect ninja" I replied "Not easily killed, but why tell me?"

"This is what your explosion caused me to do."

"You say you have no heart, then why can I still feel its warm gentle beating?"

"That's impossible, puppets are all wood" I reached for his hand putting it to my chest "How can you have no heart beat?"

"Ever wonder why a non-ninja like me creates the black book?"

Sasori pulled me closer "I don't care for the reason, I'm just glad I got to meet you."

I pushed away and walked to where the moon shone through the trees "I'm not truly alive, just a doll created years ago to hold information."

"How is that possible?"

He reached for my arm, the moon light that shone on the surface exposed bone. I pulled away careful not to stand in the moons rays and looked down. Sasori had moved closer, lifted my head and leaned in lips in a gentle kiss.

"All that time I thought it was only my heart strings being pulled" he chuckled "But it's yours too. You weren't made to hold information, you were made for me."

"Sasori" I touched his cheek lightly overwhelmed with feelings that I've never had before "The dead can't love."

"And neither can puppets. Promise me one thing."

"Depends on what's in it for me" I tried to regain my composure.

He smiled "Stay by my side until the day I die."

I tossed the idea in my head "Intriguing suggestion."

"But?"

"What am I going to do if and when you die?"

"I'm a puppet, a living weapon - so to speak."

"Here's a counter offer" I kissed him lightly "I'll stick around until I get bored, but I still work on the black book."

"I'll take what I can get" he picked me up "Uh, you've never told me your name."

"Xara."

"My shinning flower."


End file.
